Author: Yunaine
Title: Perilous Prophecies
Words: 4,017
Rating: T
Status: One Shot
Spoilers: OotP, HBP
Category: Tragedy/Angst
Warnings: Character death
Main characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I do not own anything regarding that entire imagined universe.
Summary: Hermione Granger gets informed about a new prophecy. After careful deliberation with the other races they decide that the prophecy won't happen yet. They were wrong. - Set after Hogwarts school years; AU
Beta: Ethiliam; Thank you for reading through my rubbish and correcting it again! The fact that you blackmailed me had nothing to do with me suddenly sending you new stuff. No sir, not at all. *Starts whistling innocently*
--
1- Perilous Prophecies
Hermione Granger sat behind her desk in the Ministry of Magic. She had been an Unspeakable for several years now. She was happy with her job since it allowed her to read and research magic that was not available to the public yet.
She had married Terry Boot several years ago. When she had met him after starting her new job she had been surprised but they got to know each other and one thing lead to another. She had kept her maiden name though.
The Magical World had changed dramatically some time ago. All races were completely equal. It had taken weekly meetings that went on for an entire year to solve all the issues that were represented.
At the last meeting an alliance was signed by all the races and since then they stood united. The entire Ministry was turned upside down and even the Unspeakables employed people from all the races now.
One of the biggest changes was the accountability of the government. In an attempt to stop large cover-ups it was decided to hold a weekly meeting that was broadcasted over the wireless radio. This also ensured that everyone in the Magical World could keep up to date on everything concerning Britain. It was called the Weekly Magical Gathering, WMG for short.
While rummaging through an ancient book, Hermione was disturbed by another Unspeakable running into the room at incredible speed. Vampires only accomplished such speed.
"Hermione, a new prophecy has just been made!" the Vampire stated while giving her the newly created orb.
She sighed and took the orb from the Unspeakable.
Several years ago, after hearing another prophecy concerning Harry, she had started researching prophecies. They were not made by seers as everyone thought. They were created by an ancient spell that could divine possible futures. Those futures were summarized in a few lines that were left open for interpretation. In normal cases the prophecy is inscribed in the orb. In unusual cases it is repeated in front of prominent figures by conduits, seers if you will. These prominent figures can then aide the prophecy.
When her hand touched the orb that she received, a prophecy was replayed into her mind.
Hermione sighed. "Have you contacted everyone?"
"The messages were sent out a few moments ago. Representatives of all the races will be arriving soon."
It was a procedure that was newly created, just as everything else in the Ministry. All races were to be kept informed of all prophecies to ensure that their new world would not crumble by inaction or ignorance.
--
An hour later Hermione stepped into a conference room. Representatives from all races were present. Everyone sat down when they saw Hermione enter the room.
It was times like these that she really hated being the most knowledgeable on prophecies.
"Good afternoon. I'll avoid the pleasantries and get straight to the point. A new prophecy was made today.
"A legend will fall
The Races have been united yet one is separated,
The People are happy yet one is devastated.
One will crumble and all will remember.
A legend will fall."
Everyone in the room was silent while they tried to interpret the new prophecy.
The Gnome representative was the first to break the silence. "Does 'One' stand for a race or an individual?"
"The only legendary race that existed was the Elfin Race and it was wiped out millennia ago," replied the Veela representative.
"Then we are in a quandary. There are no legends alive today," replied the Werewolf representative.
After a few moment of silence Hermione finally stood up. "Everyone should take this prophecy to their races and discuss it. We can reconvene here in five days to gather the information and determine a possible action. We can then broadcast it during the WMG if necessary. It might be a good idea for every race to research their legendary figures."
The meeting ended with that and all the representatives went back to their homes.
--
A week had passed and the prophecy lay in the Hall of Prophecies, soon to be forgotten.
None of the races had been able to find a legendary figure. They all assumed that a legend might arise in the distant future. A course of action would be determined when that happened.
The prophecy was also publicized at the WMG but nobody managed to think of a living legend.
--
Several months later
Hermione woke up with a feeling of dread. Her entire body shook with Magical Power. She jumped out of her bed; Terry followed her a fraction of a second later.
"Honey? What just happened?" Terry asked terrified.
"I don't know. I feel a lot more powerful."
"I feel the same. What could cause our power to increase?"
Hermione frowned. "Nothing could. It is impossible."
A minute later the feeling was gone and only a feeling of emptiness and loss remained. Hermione frowned and tried a spell to determine her Magical Power. The result was the same as always.
A Patronus entered the room and said urgently, "Emergency Conference. All Races are to be present. Conference room seven."
Terry said, "It looks like you won't be getting any more sleep tonight. I'll turn on the radio to see if they know something. Good luck sweetheart."
Hermione kissed Terry, got clothed and apparated to the Ministry moments later. When she arrived in the conference room it was packed. Not only were the representatives present, but also the entire reconstructed Wizengamot and the leaders of every race. Hermione was confused when she saw delegations from other countries as well.
When everyone was seated the Vampire leader that had called the meeting stood up and everyone went silent.
"Due to unusual circumstances this meeting is currently being broadcasted over the radio. Other countries have also been invited because the Magical Surge that was felt was not contained in Britain alone. It traveled across the entire world. I am afraid that I am the bearer of bad news." The Vampire sighed.
The Vampire was correct because all over the world radios were turned on to listen in on the meeting. Something extraordinary had just happened and everyone wanted to know what the cause was.
"Everyone was informed of a prophecy made several months ago. The prophecy described how a legendary figure would fall. We all agreed that no such person existed and the prophecy was forgotten."
The Goblin Leader interrupted, "What does that prophecy have to do with the Magical Surge of a few moments ago?"
"Because, the legendary figure that was mentioned in that prophecy died a few moments ago. That death caused the surge that went across the globe."
"That is impossible! No such figure was alive so how could one die?" exclaimed one of the representatives.
The discussion kept going back and forth with no real progression. Everyone in the world was listening with rapt attention in the hope that they find an answer to the strange occurrence.
Hermione kept repeating the prophecy in her head and finally whispered, "A legendary figure. All races are equal and no figure has emerged. How is it possible for a legend to die then? Nobody has ever had enough power to ..."
The people sitting next to her were used to her rambling. When she stopped however, they immediately looked over at her. Hermione had gone pale and mumbled, "No... No, it can't be... How could we? ... How could I? ... It can't be him ..." Hermione had started shacking her head violently while goose bumps had appeared over her entire body.
One of the people sitting next to her tried to shake her out of her stupor. "Hermione? Hermione?" He shook a bit harder and more people were starting to notice that Hermione was near collapse. "HERMIONE?"
By now everyone had stopped talking and everyone was looking at Hermione, who was still in shock. The Vampire representative finally got her attention.
Hermione looked up with tears in her eyes. "No..."
Before anyone could react she ran out of the Ministry and apparated away.
For the sake of the people listening in on the radio one if the Vampires said, "Mrs. Hermione Granger just ran out of the meeting. I would surmise that she might have found a clue to a possible person. We will continue the meeting."
--
The meeting had gone on for thirty minutes before the door opened again.
Walking into the room was Hermione Granger with tear tracks visible on her face. The look on her face was one of absolute devastation. She had a small book under her arms and walked straight to the middle of the conference room.
"I found out what happened. Could I please explain without any interruption?" Hermione requested.
Everyone present sat down while the people listening on the radio turned the volume up so they would not miss a thing.
Hermione began talking shakily, "One hour and a half ago someone died that was a legend. A legend we all forgot but still a legend. A man who brought together our races and built the foundations of Britain as it is today. A man named Harry Potter."
The representatives present looked up in confusion, until it turned into shock when they realized exactly who she meant.
"I found him dead in his bed at his home. A small journal lay beside him. I hope that everyone will bear with me because I will be reading parts from that journal."
Everyone saw Hermione taking a deep breath before she started reading in the journal.
"June 1996. My name is Harry James Potter and I started this journal to sort out my thoughts. Hermione would be proud of me if she knew. After I lost my godfather; I also lost my mentor. A prophecy was revealed to me that would only result in death. It would be Voldemort or me. How can I ever hope to defeat him? I lost my trust in the Headmaster that day. He failed me in every way I could imagine.
"July 1996. I refuse to walk to my death. I refuse to battle Voldemort again when I am unprepared. I started training myself since yesterday. I can't use my wand during the holidays so I can only train physically. There is not a single spot on my body that doesn't ache.
"August 1996. My training is starting to pay off. I feel better physically. Nothing much is happening besides my training.
"September 1996. I informed my friends of the prophecy today. I don't care what the Headmaster says anymore. His decisions are questionable at best so I refuse to listen to his decisions. My friends supported me and have started to help me in my training. Hermione started researching prophecies in the vain hope that there is a loophole.
"June 1997. After a full year of training I feel more confident. The students are more distant towards me because I spent all my time training. I had to choose between socializing and training. The decision was easy to make; I don't want other people dying because I wasn't ready.
"July 1997. Fate must be my personal secretary. A Vampire breached the wards and showed me another prophecy. The prophecy was made centuries ago and talked about one that would reunite all races. As if I hadn't enough to do already. What do I know of all races? Who will take my place if Voldemort kills me?
"February 1998. Only a few of my close friends still talk to me. The other students are absorbed in their own lives. I suppose it is a good thing because Voldemort won't target them to hurt me then. What I wouldn't give to have a normal school life...
"June 1998. I graduated today and saw my ex-mentor die. Voldemort and his Death Eaters interrupted the graduation in an attempt to kill me. I managed to kill Voldemort after an extensive battle, but not before he managed to kill Dumbledore. It was a good thing that Dumbledore helped in the battle because it seemed as though the 'equal' part of the prophecy was very real. We could both anticipate each other and we could have battled for days. I feel as if a load has been taken off my shoulders. At least reuniting the races will not be a deadly task. I hope.
"July 1998. I hate prophecies. I hate fate. After spending so much time training I finally took a holiday. It was the first holiday that I had ever started. I should have known that even that would be ruined. The prophecy that was told to me by the Vampire was repeated five times to me by random muggles. I can't even take a break. I made my way back to Britain and started scheduling the meetings. It is not like I have any choice in the matter.
"August 1998. I have talked to all the races in separate meetings. I made many notes and there are countless of obstacles that need to be overcome. Why was I chosen for this task? Sitting still after so much training is getting on my nerves.
"November 1998. I finally managed to get all the races together into one meeting without killing each other. From now on there will be one meeting each week. That will give everyone time to digest the previous meeting while preparing for the next. I lost touch with all of my friends due to spending nearly all of my time on this. I heard Hermione got married to Terry Boot. I'm sure I got an invitation...buried somewhere in all of my papers. I want this to be over so I can finally start my own life like everyone else.
"January 1999. The meetings are going fine. Someone labeled them 'Magical Meetings' and the name was used ever since. The goblins and gnomes finally started leaving their weapons at home instead of at the front door of the meeting room.
"February 1999. I saw an angel today. She was the most beautiful and elegant woman I have ever laid eyes upon. I vowed to myself that I would get to know her better soon.
"March 1999. I am a fool. The meetings are still as strict as ever. I tried to lighten up the mood but apparently this was taken as an insult to every race present. I apologized for my actions and I hope that this reunion will not take too much time anymore. I am growing tired of their inane squabbles. Who cares that one race insulted another three thousand years ago? The temperature during the meetings seems to have dropped below zero.
"April 1999. The meetings have settled down again after my idiocy. Some would call this a good thing but I call it a bad thing. It was during this final meeting that I realized that I could not show any favoritism until the reunion has been completed. This means that I cannot risk approaching the woman that my heart goes out to, for she is of another race. It might be taken as an insult to the other races and destroy everything.
"June 1999. I am finally making more progress. I have been pushing the races more towards each other so that they can continue the meetings without me. They are finally talking like civilized beings that are really trying to get along. I hope this finishes soon. My heart aches and I hate that prophecy. She looks more beautiful each day that passes. I am starting to loath that prophecy.
"September 1999. My manipulations are finally paying off. I am growing tired of the meetings and everything is going well. I managed to push all the races together and they are now communicating in a civilized and decent manner. I am pushing my responsibilities away since I think I am no longer needed for them.
"November 1999. Today is a day for celebration. Today is a day to mourn.
"I have finished my task. I was not present in the last few meetings since I was not needed. The agreement has finally been signed. I doubt that anyone even remembers how I needed to push the races together. Perhaps I am just a reminder of their own idiocy, which makes it easier for them to forget me.
"Today, on the day that I can finally start acting like myself again, on the day that I wanted to celebrate my own freedom, is the day that my heart got broken as well. I saw my angel together with another man. I should have known that fate would have something in store for me. I hate my life.
"January 2000. I, Harry James Potter, am going into the new millennium with hope. I have not left my home since the prophecy was fulfilled. I was too heartbroken to even set a foot outside. I did not want to see my angel again only to realize that she was not mine to hold. I only made one wish for this new millennium. I wish that someone would care for me. Nobody has visited me, nobody has contacted me, and nobody has remembered me. I stand here alone and abandoned.
"February 2001. I sit here at my own home and realize just how much life sucks. I have heard that sentence being uttered before but I doubt that anyone could say it with as much loathing as I do.
"I defeated Voldemort and while everyone celebrated my own holiday was ruined.
"I reunited the races and while everyone celebrated my own life was ruined.
"I sit here now with an illness. It is a silly illness that any magical hospital could cure. The illness will block me from using magic. Instead it will stay inside my body until I can't take it any more. Then it will be released in one surge.
"I could be cured in an instant. However...why should I? So I can suffer longer? So I can sit here and grow more hatred? No. I will lie here until someone comes for me. I still hope...
"March 2003. I heard of a prophecy today. It was on the radio a few minutes ago. Am I that legend? Have I been included in another prophecy? Oh the irony. A prophecy destroyed my childhood; a prophecy destroyed my heart; and now a prophecy that finally destroys my life.
"I fulfilled all my prophecies so I am sure that I will fulfill this one as well. I currently lie on my bed while laughing hysterically. Several prophecies got shoved to me and everyone just expected me to fulfill them. Now it is finally their turn.
"June 2003. I hate fate even more than I imagined.
"I was expected to do all my prophecies like a good little boy. I did my duty. I did my part. I gave up everything in my life.
"Now everyone is expected to fulfill one prophecy that concerns me. It is an easy prophecy. It only requests a single being to come to my home and care for me.
"Nobody came. Nobody cared.
"June 2003; end of the month. I am sure that I will die today. Everything is floating around me due to the amount of magic inside of me.
"I am Harry James Potter and I regret ever having fulfilled a single prophecy. I should have left you all to your own fate instead of destroying my own. My magic is too built up to cure the illness now. Perhaps everyone should be grateful because I would most likely destroy you all. You deserve nothing else. You are all selfish bastards and bitches that deserve to die.
"I gave everything and I got nothing back.
"I hate fate. I hate prophecies. I hate every race. I even hate my angel. I hope you all die the most vicious and gruesome death even if I cannot be the one to subject you to it.
"I hate you all."
Hermione finally looked up from the journal and saw everyone looking at her in various degrees of shock and depression. They had all failed the man that gave everything for them.
That day the entire Magical World wept for the loss of a legend that they should have saved. They did not blame him for his angry words in his final entries. Anyone that tried to sympathize with the life of Harry Potter, no matter how hard they tried, could not even grasp a single second of his ordeal in life.
--
Harry Potter stood in front of a council of ancient beings. The rage was pouring off of him. They sat there in their little thrones and gave him the life that he had lived.
"Harry James Potter."
Harry looked over at the being that had said his name. It was sitting in the middle of the council and Harry dubbed that being as 'Fate'. 'Fate' was in charge and 'Fate' was responsible.
"Your life was an extraordinary one. You will be reincarnated in the future with some advanced magical knowledge and perception, but without your specific memories. Consider this your gift for the ordeal that we put you through."
'Fate' started the process to reincarnate Harry.
However, 'Fate' had underestimated the hatred that Harry felt for his ordeal.
Harry had been feeling for his magic since he had arrived at the council. All of his magic was available to him. Harry acted quickly and threw all of his magical power straight at 'Fate'.
The entire council was too shocked to intervene. Nobody had ever attacked 'Fate'.
Harry saw some of the magic being absorbed in the process 'Fate' had started, but some of it also reached 'Fate'. Before his world blacked out he saw 'Fate' being blasted by most of the magic.
Some of the council quickly made their way towards 'Fate' after Harry had disappeared. 'Fate' was wounded severely. 'Fate' whispered in a strained voice, "The process was interrupted by his magic. He was not sent to the future but to the past. His memories were removed but his hatred was not."
One of the beings, which Harry would have undoubtedly dubbed 'Destiny', stated in a sad voice, "It was meant to be."
--
Several decades before the birth of Harry James Potter
A male baby was born.
He was a very special baby. He contained the soul from a legendary figure, even though he would not realize it in this lifetime for he did not have those memories.
He was aware of everything that was happening around him. The cord between his gaunt looking mother and him was severed a few seconds later.
Someone was holding him close and the people around him were conversing. However he was keeping his attention on his mother. He used his magic in a conscious manner, something that had never done before, and felt his mother giving up. He saw her life slipping away while shouting in his mind.
'Noooo… Don't leave me! Why are you giving up? You could live! I need you. Why?'
The baby was crying at the top of its voice.
His mother did not have any energy to raise her arms to hold him, so the person holding him did not hand him to her.
The person holding him said, "It's a boy." The person was trying to smile at the woman that was dying, but failed miserably.
His mother looked away from him, as if in shame for giving up. She whispered, "Please...take him...out... doesn't need...see... me die..."
The person holding him walked out of the room.
'Nooo... Do not listen to her you fool! Do not take me from her...'
Before he was taken out of the room he picked up from his mother's voice, "Name… him… Tom… -
'I hate you! How dare you take me from my mother? How dare she give up? I hate all of you! I hate that name! I will make you all pay...'
--
THE END
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